Match
by Edgeless
Summary: Fred and George are identical, of course. But not completely the same, and this bothers George. How far will he go to make sure they match? I know, very bad description. Eating Disorder warning! NO TWINCEST
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

I watched my joyous twin carefully, observing his every move.

"C'mon Georgie, move it!" Fred whined at me, as I had stopped bouncing on the trampoline, being too deep in thought.

"Sorry!" I said with a sheepish grin. He grinned back, and I knew I was in the clear. Cautiously, I kept bouncing and made sure to keep my eyes off him, thinking he might assume I was odd. So I just pictured him in my head. '_Hair? Got it, to the exact. Eyes? Just like mine, but more glittery. I would have to work on that. Chin? Mine's too fat, I need to change that. At least my neck is perfect…' _Thoughts like these continued on for a while, until mum made us go inside, where she sat Fred and I at the table, and told us to draw her a picture.

My short, stubby, five-year-old hands glided smoothly over the paper, leaving precise and swooping lines of color. I shaded in my subjects (Fred and I) delicately, making sure we matched exactly, and the color stayed in the lines. We were sitting on our bunk bed, with myself on top and Fred at the bottom, grinning at each other. I sighed down at it. Some would say it was astounding for someone of my age. I would have ignored them: I craved perfection. Suddenly my dramatic brother drew up his hand with a flourish, and cried, "My masterpiece!" He had a small lisp, so it sounded more like "My matahpeese!"

I immediately ran around the table, and peered down at the paper. It was sloppily done, no doubt, but I favored it over mine. It depicted the incident in which we (really, Fred, I just watched) stole Charlie's wand and turned Ronnie's stuffed bear into a spider. Fred was laughing, with a smile so big it stretched out of his face, and I was standing behind him, smiling crookedly. That bothered me. Did Fred think I was sad? Did I have bad teeth? Why did I look so different from him?

A few feet away, Molly Weasley stared curiously at her sons. George—or was it Fred?—was staring intently at his brother's drawing, his lower lip shaking in frustration. Fred—she assumed it was him—didn't seem to notice; he just leaned back proudly in his chair. Finally, after studying the picture for what felt like an hour, George sat back down and asked his brother what to do next.

**AN:** Hi, this is my first fanfiction, and my first published story, so I hope you like it. I understand it was very unlikely that after stealing Charlie's wand, the magic they wanted to happen would just simply happen, without knowing the spell. I'm just assuming that it's slightly possible, and as Gred and Forge have always seemed like such talented wizards, I thought that maybe they could have pulled it off. I know this part of the story is rather boring, but don't worry, I'll move to a better age/time in the next chapter! I will only post the first chapter if their si any interest, so yeah.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Fred!" I called, throwing a pillow at my sleepy brother.

"Mmm?" He replied hoarsely.

"Mum will kill you if you miss breakfast!"

"Don't get your knickers in a twist, I'm getting up!" I was relieved for just a moment, until laughter set in. Fred was a most nauseating orange. At first he was utterly baffled, then realization set in and he looked down at himself.

"YES! Um…I tried out an experiment last night…" Fred exclaimed, starting out proud and ending highly embarrassed at the end, with his ears turning the same colour as his hair.

I rolled my eyes at him, he never thought things through. At least there was me. I always planned ahead, thought of every possible outcome and reaction. Fred pretended to be extremely annoyed with that tendency, but I knew he secretly appreciated it. Smiling to myself, I murmured the spell and with a flick of my wand, his skin was back to normal. "Thanks, mate!" he said with a beam, and began to put on a nicer Muggle shirt. I couldn't help but notice the elegant arch of his back, the strong muscles, and slightly protruding shoulder blades. I was in horror. I thought we finally matched.

"Just a minute, Freddie. I'm going to the loo, you should go downstairs so mum doesn't have a conniption." I said, attempting to crack a grin.

"Sure. Sucks to be you though, Ickle Ronniekins will have eaten all the food by the time you get down." Though he couldn't tell, I was relieved. Turning away, I slowly made my way to the bathroom that we shared, locking the door as soon as I heard the stairs creak. Taking off my shirt, I tried not to gag. Rolls of sickening fat layered upon my abdomen, my arms were no better. Quickly, I pulled on a shirt that was a bit more loose than my others, and flushed, just to hide my real reasons for being in the room.

When I arrived in the kitchen, I was careful to act very nonchalant. I was relieved to see that Ron really had eaten a large share of the food, and I was spared of eating like a pig.

"Wha' took 'ya so long, trying to fix your makeup?" I turned around in my seat, to see Fred with a look of mock shock. Unfortunately, he always read me, and was able to duck just seconds before I swatted his head. Mum glared at me in her scary way, so I quickly speared some sausage onto my fork. I cut it up very carefully, and tentatively put it in my mouth. Perfection, as usual. Mum was the world's best cook. I impulsively grabbed another bite, but only ate two more after that. I mustn't give into temptation.

"Forge. Fore-orge. Forge!" My twin spoke, with only a hint of what could be considered worry in his confident voice. "Come back to Earth now."

"Sorry," I whispered, trying to make sure no more attention was being brought to myself. For the rest of the meal, I joked around with Fred, but did not eat. No one noticed.

**AN:** Ahh, George is getting sadder. Sorry if I've ruined anyone's idea of him, it just seemed like the twins couldn't be entirely perfect and wonderful people, so this idea began forming. I know, I know, my sentences are far too long. I have a problem with that. And, I so humbly use the word "I" much to often. Sorry it's so short, I will make the next one much longer! Pleas review, it makes me happy to see them! Thank you for wasting your time reading my silly thoughts, it makes me happy! :)


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

After Dad and Mum told us about the temporary leave (their words, not mine) to Number 12 Grimmauld Place, I was only a tiny bit shocked. It seemed exciting, as life at the Burrow had just not been up to par with its usual amount of fun. Change of scenery was good. Ron did not take it as well as the rest of us did. He pouted, no matter how many comforting words Hermione uncharacteristically used to soothe him. As soon as we got there, he slumped up the stairs and chose the best, biggest room, with two large beds. Mum didn't object, of course, she wanted _Perfect Harry _to have the best sleep possible, and to get healthy, as he was just _so_ thin. Sigh.

I spent most of the day with Fred and Ron, exploring the house. Hermione was highly disapproving of us, thinking we were invading Sirius's privacy. Ron told her off, because we hadn't see Sirius all day, and the two of them started bickering. Fred smiled mischievously and I immediately knew what he wanted to do: jumpstart some romance. My twin had a crazy idea that Hermione and Ron were desperately in love, and, as Ron's brothers, it was our duty to make their relationship blossom. I always went along with it, though it was obvious to everyone but him that it wasn't going to happen. Quickly, Fred and sauntered up to the steaming duo.

"Hey, calm down now. We don't want Hermy and Ronnie getting in trouble. Come with us, I have a new…ah…prank to show you!" He said with a casual flick of the hand.

"It's not going to hurt us, right Fred?" Hermione said timidly. I repressed a groan, of course, she could tell us apart. Fred was obviously the thin and good-looking one, and quite memorable. I was just his loser brother, who he probably pitied.

"Of course not, I would never want to do anything that might _hurt_ someone. How could you think that?" Fred said, pretending to be offended, and swaggered down the hall. I quickly walked to keep up with him, and Ron and Hermione followed cautiously. He led us to a room we hadn't noticed before, with no light streaming below the door. Slowly, my twin swung open the heavy door, and gestured inside. Ron carefully walked in, expecting some fizzes or bangs to suddenly erupt from the wall. When he saw that nothing happened, he quickened his pace, and Hermione followed suit. Fred smiled at them, and quickly winked at me. In less than a second, the door that he had struggled with before was locked tightly, leaving the young teenagers engulfed in darkness.

"Hey!" "Wotcher!" "Bloody hell!" "_Ronald!"_

My twin leaned back triumphantly, as I giggled, picturing the looks on their faces.

"Let. Us. OUT!" Hermione shrieked.

"Hmm…" Fred started.

"You see…" I said, enjoying the opportunity to banter with my brother.

"We don't really feel"

"Like you've treated us"

"All that fairly, lately, dearest Herms."

I could practically feel Hermione's anger seethe through the door. Cackling madly, my brother and I apparated, landing directly in front of the female we feared most.

**AN:** It's still not very long, and it's not too important seeming right now, but I promise, later on in the plot, it will be pretty important! Please review, it makes me so happy! Sorry for any confusion caused by grammar or phrasing! I'll try to write more, I just can't seem to get a story through without breaking it up. Have a good day!


	4. Chapter 3

DISCLAIMER: I'm not Jo Rowling. The characters aren't mine, the settings aren't mine, the basis of the plot, yup.

"What on earth were you boys doing up there? No, nevermind, don't say anything, I heard Hermione and Ron screaming from all the way in the kitchen." Molly Weasley screeched at her nervous sons.

"Mum, they were just fighting again, no worries," Fred said with a charming smile.

"They most certainly were _not_ fighting! Darling Harry, we were having one of our good chats, and he told me about their fighting. He said, in confidence, that they were always as quiet as possible when they're around me. _They_ don't want to bother me! So what prank did you play on them?" Their proud mother ranted. George rolled his eyes. She was so fanatical about Harry, it was ridiculous and pitiful.

"Only locked them together in a closet, sweet Mum, don't fret!" Fred said hastily. He squeezed my shoulder, our emergency signal, and we Apparted to our shared bedroom.

"Come back here right now, stop being childish! Fred! Fred! George!" Our mother cried, as we rolled around laughing on our beds.

"At least come down for dinner in ten minutes! No more funny business!" My heart immediately filled with dread. **_Dinner!_** I couldn't do it. I had managed to avoid lunch, but now, I would be out in the open.

"Erm, Georgie?"

I turned around, nervous he was going to point out my piggy-ness. "Yes, brother of mine?"

"Are you okay? You look really pale." Fred muttered, running his hand through his hair.

I decided to play it up. "Yeah, I don't feel so great. I think I'm going to skip dinner, tell mum for me, please?

"Of course, feel better. But don't get me sick." My twin cracked, a glimmer of what I hoped was concern still flickered in his eyes.

An hour later, someone padded gently up the stairs. I walked over to the bed, and tried to look weak, which would not be hard to do. Fred shuffled through the doorway, holding soup and a glass of water. "Ah mate, you really don't look well. Here, Mum made me bring you some soup, she thinks you are dying!" He pronounced, setting the items on the end of my bed.

"I don't look well? Ah, dear brother, you do realize that is a knock to you? We're identical." I said pompously. "But thanks for the soup."

He punched my arm playfully. I tried not to show my pain through my face, as Fred could always read me. Chuckling humorlessly, I began to scoop up minuscule portions of soup, and painfully eat them. Slinging his muscular arm around my shoulder, he began to describe the new group of inventions he had in mind.

"Some sort of snackbox, you know? I reckon every student at Hogwarts has wanted to skip a lesson before. Even 'Mione! So you could just pop a sweet in, and BOOM! You're ill! The teacher lets you out, then you take the other part of the sweet, and BOOM! You're healthy! Now you can roam the castle at your leisure. Bloody excellent, eh Georgie?" My brother said animatedly.

"Boom." I muttered, then brightened up. "Hey, I might be able to do that! The Furnunculus charm for boils, and then…Yeah! Should be a piece of cake." I said quickly, feeling the food churn in my stomach.

"Thank goodness one of us here knows how to do wandwork! I don't know where I'd be without you, Forge. Thanks lots!" Fred beamed and thankfully, walked out of the room. "I'm going to go check on Hermione and Ronald, maybe I'll get to catch them snogging!" I smiled weakly at him, and waited until his footsteps became faint. _Strange, _I thought. _I've been doing that a lot lately._ Slowly, I dragged myself over to the bathroom, and locked the door. _If only we were allowed to use magic, I would definitely be able to lock it then… _I crouched down in front of the unforgiving porcelain, and shakily put my wand down my throat; my heart pounding in my ears. The wand sent out several green sparks, which tickled the back of my mouth and I immediately began gagging.

**AN:** So I'm back from vacation, where I went to **THE WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER!** Ahhh! I rode all the rides and bot tons of stuff, (Ravenclaw, mostly, but one Gryffindor jersey) and on the Forbidden Journey, at the end you can see the twins! Fred waves and makes eye contact, and George winks, so of course, my heart melted. That's why I didn't update for so long. As always, please reveiw and have a lovely day! I will try to release more chapters.

Also, anyone here on Pottermore? PM if you want to be friends. Especially if you are Ravenclaw!


	5. Chapter 4

When it was over, I leaned back against the tub, tears sliding down my cheeks. After resting for a few moments, I pulled myself up using the sink, and flushed the toilet. Quickly, I scrubbed my hands in the sink and looked up at my face, still blotchy from the sobbing. Rubbing at it furiously, I realized it would just at to my sick façade, and I unlocked the door, and bravely stepped out.

Later that evening, I sat down with the notebook I usually used to plan inventions, and began to format my plan to lose weight. I knew this was really unusual, but I had always been a planner, a thinker. It didn't matter though, because as soon as I was finished I looked down at it and tore the paper to pieces. _Git! _ I thought _There is no way anyone could be as stupid as you! Fred would find it and make fun of you! Things would never be the same! Think Georgie, even you are better than leaving proof on purpose!_ I bit my lip, knowing the voice inside me was entirely right. I leaned back and let my head settle into the pillow, and thought harder than I ever had before. Feeling confident about the morning, I fell asleep. Then woke up. _Stupid! Freddie will be worried if you go to bed now!_ So instead, I started sketching out the design for the snackboxes, allowing the quill beneath my fingers to let out my emotion. I drew deep curved lines, and bold letters.

When Fred came upstairs, George was asleep, his quill and notebook having fallen out of his hands and onto the floor. He smiled at his twin brother, and picked up the notebook. Fred stepped back in shock—The drawings were amazing! He traced wistfully along the lines of his twin's work, wishing he could be as good as George at drawing. _Ah well! At least I'm better at Quidditch. We're equal for once. _ Fred grinned, and set down the notebook, and gently moved George into a more comfortable position, before settling into one in his own bed.

The next morning, when I awoke, I was in my own bed. I felt my ears turn red, imagining Fred finding me and sighing in discontent at my slovenliness. Quietly, I bent down and picked up my notebook from the side table, and started to sketch. But now, instead of ambitious designs of snackboxes, they were of a person: Fred. Fred sitting on his bed, Fred laughing with Ginny, Fred on his broomstick, smiling smugly at another successful bludger. Fred dancing, Fred talking to me (I didn't draw myself, it was assumed) and Fred smiling. They were frantic, that I could admit, but I knew my pictures would be of good use to me: Inspiration.

**AN:** Sorry I took so long to update, I feel terrible! This chapter may seem short, but it got some important messages across, don't you think? I'm currently working on a Doctor Who fic, but it would be pretty embarrassing to put up (not slash or anything like that, just too emotional and clumsy) even though I'm proud of it. There would be a Rory perspective and one from the Doctor (11)

As always, please review, and have a nice day!


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **Look at that, I'm not Jo Rowling. OR Warner Brothers. Amazing, huh?

I locked up my drawings in the side table, and resolved to look for a better hiding spot in the near future. Fred and I joked around a lot, apparating into anyone's personal space we could find. We didn't stop the tradition when Harry showed up, and barged into Ron's room, shouting about who-knows-what.

"Hello, Harry!" I said fake-cheerfully, appearing next to him with a crack. "We thought we heard your dulcet tones." He looked one-third stunned, one-third amused, and one-third seething with anger.

"You don't want to bottle up your anger like that, Harry, let it all out!" Fred said, beside himself with glee.

"If you're all done shouting—" I began.

"—Do you wanna hear something a little more interesting?" Fred finished, almost letting a chuckle escape: He loved finishing sentences almost as much as I did. The trio all nodded their assent, and Fred took off running to get the Extendable Ear, a product that let you hear through doors and charms. (we weren't going to tell them that it was still a prototype; side effects including death) He came back with it, and we all gathered around a nook in the landing, as Fred dangled it close to the door. I held the other end, and tuned out, not really caring what was going on, as long as Fred seemed happy my work was done.

The people downstairs shouted, and four out of the five teenagers listened intently, myself being the excluded. I was drawn to my senses when Fred nudged me subtly. I turned around and saw Ginny walking slowly towards us, murmuring 'Hi.' I looked back at him confused, and he jerked his head towards Ronnie and Hermione, and I saw them with blushing profusely, looking down and rubbing their hands, which I suspected had been together moments before. Fred grinned, so I beamed in return, ignoring the confused looks we were getting from the pair.

Later that night, after dinner, (which I had yet to purge, and I could feel churning in my stomach) I comforted Fred about the loss of the Ear: Crookshanks had eaten it. He had been fuming earlier, but tried to tone it down for Hermione, who seemed really embarrassed. Once he was calmed down, my twin took advantage of the opportunity to brag about his correctness in the Hermione-Ron love situation.

"So I was right about Ronniekins and Herman—I mean Hermione!" He said smiling arrogantly.

"Of course!" I said with what I hoped would appear to be an assuring nod.

"Are you being sarcastic?" Fred asked suddenly, confusion in his voice: We never used that kind of humor with each other, it was wrong.

"Definitely not Freddie, I just think that you were correct again!" I cringed as soon as the again slipped out, hoping he wouldn't take it wrong.

"Again? Forge, you're right as often as I am, we share the same brain, so it's gotta be half-and-half, right?" He chuckled, clearly enjoying his own small pun.

"Of course."

"You need to stop saying that, it's creeping me out."

"Okay."

"Really, stop being so agreeable! It's like you're not even here! Are you listening to me George?" He was worried, really worried. I had to make this stop fast, from all ends of my brain, choruses of _Stupid! Stupid!_ were ringing in.

"I'm really sorry, just thinking. It's okay, I'm listening. Sorry. Actually, I have to go to the loo, be back in just a few!" I rambled, hoping he would understand that to prove that I was present. I walked quickly to the bathroom, and locked it. Carefully, I went through the same routine as the previous night, flushing quietly. I ran the sink on full to cover the sounds of my sobs, which I feared could be heard throughout the house. I could feel my heart pounding against my ribcage, my pulse beating through my veins. Rubbing my face a bit too harshly, I opened the door and stepped out into the landing. I was surprised to see Harry, looking down the stairs.

"Hey, George." I winced. Harry could tell us apart too, between my ugly face and barrel shaped body, to Fred's mischievous features and lean Quidditch-player body.

" 'lo, Harry. Good night." I quickly made my way to the door, trying to ignore his puffy red eyes, because I was sure he could see mine too.

"Wait," I winced once again, knowing he was going to ask something I didn't want to answer, comment on something I didn't want to know. "Were you crying in there?"

"No, gross." I hoped my façade would keep up.

"Sounded like it." He surveyed my face. "Looks like it."

"Were you, just now? Crying, I mean?" I hoped to turn the attention back to him, though I felt bad as I knew he hated it. _There you are, off again to make everyone sad. Ruining everything. It would be better without you, Mr Carbon-Copy. _

"No." At that, I turned into my room.

**AN: Thank you for reading. This is my least favourite chapter so far, but at I thought it was at least 75% decent. As always, have an excellent day, and please review! Also, I don't have a beta, so sorry for any mistakes.**


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Hey Georgie," Fred smiled at me, a sudden mood change from our previous discussion. "You got a letter!" He indicated the owl hooting excitedly on the windowsill. I grinned, glad to finally have some access with the outside world. Then I frowned.

"Let me guess: You read it."

"Of course! You read mine!"

"Well _of course, _Freddie, I have to. You always forget. Remember the howler in third year…?"

He blushed, but laughed. "I try not to." The smile creeping back to my face, I opened the letter carefully, and gave an owl treat I found in my pocket to the messenger.

* * *

><p><em>Dear George (Not Fred!), <em>

_ Hi, it's Katie Bell. So, have you had a nice summer? I have, I've been hanging out with Alicia and Angelina quite a lot. I hope you're not being __too__ boring, you know how you and Fred are. (Kidding!) Anyway, I should be telling you this in person, but I just couldn't wait until we got back to Hogwarts, that's ages away. So, here it goes:_

_I fancy you._

_ So what say you, George? If you don't like me, it's okay, I won't have a breakdown or anything, I just won't speak to you ever again. Ever. _

_ Lots of Cheesy Teenage Love,_

**Katie**

* * *

><p>I could feel the blush on my cheeks throughout the entirety of the short letter. I looked up at Fred, who showed a tiny You're-In-Love smile, and suddenly we both started laughing.<p>

"So what say you, Georgie?" Fred had stopped laughing, and was looking at me completely seriously. I thought for a moment. Angelina, gorgeous, confident Angelina, was the girl I really loved. I always played the most pranks on her, it was my way of showing, I guess you could say. Katie was alright. I loved her like a sister, platonic. But she was better than no one. Besides, Fred sort of fancied Angelina, and I couldn't do that to him. She didn't like me anyway. Yes, I was going to date Katie.

I smiled a grin identical to the one that had started our laughing jag, and Fred reached over and patted me on the back. Then, suddenly, he shouted. "OI! GEORGIE HAS A NEW LADY FRIEND!" So that the whole house could know.

**AN: **Today is the 13th Anniversary of Fred Weasley's death, so I had to write a light-hearted, positive chapter to commemorate. It's not much, and barely related to the story, but I_ had _ to. I wasn't really in a writing mood today either, so this may make the "worst chapters you've ever read" list. Please review anyway, even if you just want to tell me you hate it, and I would say to have a nice day, but I don't think that's possible now that FRED'S DEAD. ):


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Later that night, while Fred was sleeping, I sat in my bed and thought. About how stupid I was, how I was going to embarrass Katie, and how she was going to break up with me the moment she saw my horrifying body. I was kind of glad that Angelina hadn't written the letter, though I loved her to pieces, I couldn't bear to have this happen to her. I was so stuck, I couldn't stay with Katie and I couldn't break up with her. If I broke up with her, everyone would hate me, even Fred. If I stayed, she would break up with me, and I would be seen as a weak wimp and a loser, more so than I already am.

I fell asleep crying, like the disgusting person I was. Fred never noticed when I cried, I was too practiced, and too silent. He never cried, he never had any reason to. Fred was strong and brave. That morning, I awoke way before Fred did. I sketched for a while, as a bit of a comfort, a comfort I didn't deserve. Three hours later, I checked to see if Fred was still asleep. He was, with a smile that would make any girl at Hogwarts swoon. I wondered if he was dreaming of Angelina, they kissed quite a lot last year, and Fred would always come back to the dorm so happy, and tell me all about it. I would smile and laugh, make jokes about pretending to be him just so I could get a kiss. He would tell me that he hated her personality, but she was so sweet to him, and an amazing kisser. That's when I would leave the room.

When everyone was awake that morning, Fred and I met Harry near the stairs. He was going to go to court, and looked worried. He definitely needed some cheering up.

"Well, if you get expelled Harry, you can start our Joke Shop for us," Fred said with a grin as I smiled slightly. Fred looked over at me funnily, so I smiled wider, worried.

"I'll keep that in mind, Fred," Harry said with a small laugh as he adjusted his shirt. I winced, people really needed to stop being able to tell us apart. But I had to play along.

"Good luck, mate," I said as I clapped Harry on the shoulder. "If you don't come back to Hogwarts, we'll send you a toilet seat."

Harry gave us a suspicious look, and we grinned pleasantly back, until he left with our father. Ron walked up to us slowly.

"So, if I did something like that would you trust me to run your Joke Shop for you?" Ron asked.

"Of course not," Fred replied like it was obvious. "Don't be thick. You don't have the spunk for it." _Neither did I, but that wasn't stopping him._

We both went back to our room, and had a lazy day, playing Exploding Snap with Ginny and making lots of inside jokes. Inside jokes were the best to me, because it kept you happy and together, but separate from everyone else. Fred hated them for the same reason.

Later that day, after a celebratory sing-and-dance session with Ginny because of Harry's trial, we went up to our room. It was time to pack.

Packing is much easier for twins than singletons. You've got double the stuff, sure, but you have double the space so you can pack with the ultimate organization. Fred and I weren't neat-freaks, definitely not, but we were the most efficient people you could ever find. Books would be packed like that Muggle game Tetris (we had snuck to our fair share of "arcades" during our lifetime) and jumpers would be so tightly coiled that you could fit two in your pocket. Fred was always better at that than me, but at least I could pack our prototypes without blowing them up, a very useful skill Fred lacked.

As we lugged our (and Ginny's, we lost a bet) trunks onto the Express, I wondered what would happen when I saw Katie. Would she kiss me? We got to the compartment our friends had occupied nearly every year, and settled down. I had barely a minute to relax before I had to face my greatest fear: my new girlfriend.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"Hi, George," Kate said with a small smile, not making eye contact, and I gave a quick nod, staring at the floor.

"Why, if it isn't the lovely couple, Mister and Madam Weasley! Look here, Angie, an example of true love!" Fred cried, slinging his arm around Angelina and pointing dramatically. I blushed but waved a (what I hoped would appear) dismissing hand in the air and Katie put her hands on her hips, suddenly more confident.

"Now, Freddie, we'll have none of that. You'd better not make fun of us or I'll hex you to Diagon Alley." Katie said fiercely, and I laughed, glad to be defended but put out for looking so weak, letting my girlfriend defend me.

"Maybe you should! It would help us start our shop earlier. Do you wanna see our plans?" I said, already shoving my hand in my pocket. Fred took a deep breath so he could start our well-rehearsed, and quite funny, speech.

"Eh, no thanks," Angelina sighed. "Fred can tell me about it later. Let's go, Freddie." My twin blinked in shock, and I stumbled back a few steps, then put on a pained smile. Katie frowned at her friend, and I excused myself to the bathroom. Behind my hurried steps, I heard Fred and Katie scolding Angelina, and I walked faster. When I got to the restroom, I was already crying. _You are so so stupid! Now you've embarrassed Fred, and they all think you're a weak girl. Fred should hate you, EVERYONE should. The fat ugly reject twin. Duplicate gone wrong. _Vicious thoughts poured into my head, my stomach already churning. Leaning over the toilet, it went even more harshly then the first time, I didn't even need to assist.

Wiping my mouth with my sleeve, I opened the stall door and stopped in my tracks when I saw Lee Jordan standing outside of it. Grinning characteristically, I sprinted over to the sink and washed my hands faster than I thought possible.

"Alright, mate?" Lee said scanning me warily, and I toned down the smile, thinking it was probably manic.

"Of course I am. See you on the train, then." As I scurried out, I silently dropped some Peruvian Darkness Powder and smirked when I heard his "Hey!"

* * *

><p>When I got to the train, I sat next to Fred, and tried to avoid Katie's sympathetic eyes. I was the stupid, sensitive twin, they probably thought I'd cried. Though I had, it still didn't make me feel great. While Angie, Lee, and Fred chattered, Katie stared out the window and I took out a book and pretended to read.<p>

"George?" Katie was suddenly next to me. I slid farther away from her as subtly as possible, then looked up so she knew I wasn't ignoring her. I didn't want her to see me too close, she might realize I wasn't like Fred.

"You know you're reading your book upside down."

"You're right." I said, hoping that I could pass it off as some sort of weird prank.

"Mhm. So, show me your joke stuff. Your sketches. Lee said you had some stuff that made the room dark. Did Fred say that was impossible in second year?" If only she would keep her voice down, the other three would probably notice us any second.

"Exactly. We're not sure how we got it to work, but it does. So no one's stopping it." She laughed very loudly. Angelina shot a glare at her, and even Fred looked at me oddly. I winced, so he smiled probably trying to stop the embarrassment I was causing him. _You owe him now. Git. _

Seemingly oblivious, she continued on. "So those sketches. I know you're so good at drawing, they must be brilliant!"

"I guess so." As I reached into my pocket, Katie scooted closer, leaning in eagerly. I flinched backwards, accidentally falling into Fred. He gasped and I jumped back, aware that I had probably crushed him under my ghastly weight. Unfortunately, in my haste, I fell onto the floor of the train. Fred burst in to fits of laughter, and I eyed him sadly. I had been bracing myself for this moment, when he finally saw my faults, but it still felt like the world was crashing down around me. Angelina was laughing too now, and that bothered me almost as much.

"Katherine Amelia Bell, tone down the flirting right now. George likes you; it's obvious. And I don't like him, so no competition either." Katie blushed deeply, and stuttered something before running out of the compartment. I wanted to do the same, but Fred wouldn't. So, I picked myself off the floor and sat back next to Fred, but at least a foot farther than previously. He studied me, making me extremely uncomfortable. I wanted to pull out my hair, Angelina was staring too. Acting on instinct, I gave them what they wanted.

"Sorry for crushing you. And being so loud."

"You didn't crush me mate, you're nothing! And it wasn't your fault. No big deal." Fred said, eyebrows almost reaching the ceiling.

_You're nothing._

__**AN:** Sorry for taking forever to update. This is my least favourite chapter, but I felt like I needed to get this out, you know? Please review, even if you're just telling me how horrible it is! Have a nice day!


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**AN:** This is going to become a regular thing, updates every Wednesday (Around 9:45 EST) Please review of course, even if it's negative, and have a nice day! Again, I'm not a fan of this chapter, I feel I'm getting worse. I'm considering taking a few days to write chapters from now on, rather then about 20 minutes xD

When we finally got to Hogwarts, I was grateful. It was horrible being locked in a stuffy room with Fred and Angelina so close; I hated people being close enough to see every flaw. Fred and I did some of what we liked to call mini-pranks while getting off the train (just a few little Dungbombs and firecrackers) and earned a week's detention, so of course we already had drawn too much attention to ourselves. Lowerclassmen were coming up to Fred left and right, gushing about how amazingly brilliant he was. I have no idea how I managed to smile.

The Great Hall was already bustling when we walked in with Katie and Angie. It seemed like the school's population doubled each year. Keeping my head down, I walked to our usually seats, wondering if everyone was talking about me. Fred was kind enough to draw me away from my harried thoughts. He subtly pointed at the stuffy looking portly woman that was in the DADA seat, muttering something about the inspiring pink colour she was wearing.

"That would be the perfect colour for Ton-Tongue Toffees; The current purple doesn't really cut it. She doesn't really look made out for Defense does she? More like a grumpy out cat lady if you ask me, huh?" He whispered with a snicker. I laughed too, but quickly looked down with Hermione spun around to look at me.

Thankfully, McGonagall chose that moment to bring out the Sorting Hat. It sang something about friendship and standing together, so everyone above the age of 12 rolled their eyes. Fred said something to Angelina and Katie, and they both guffawed while he leaned back proudly. I smiled at him, glad he could be so successful, but wishing to know what he had said. It wasn't as if I could go ask.

Eventually, Dumbledore stood up to the podium, and I held my breath hopefully, maybe we were skipping the feast! Unfortunately, he had to be as mystic and eccentric as possible, so he said some quirky remark and the food was suddenly on the table. My arm began to shake in a panic: _Everyone _was going to be watching! My stomach lurched preemptively and I stood up abruptly, muttering "Bathroom!" before quickly walking towards the lavatory. I could feel hot stares on my back so I tried not to slouch and sucked in my stomach.

When my work was done, I sat on the toilet, waiting for the telltale sign of scraping chairs so I could make my escape and act like I had gone and done some heroic prank. It seemed to be hours, Dumbledore must have had something really interesting to say. Once I was back in the hallway, I quickly found Fred and Lee.

"Where _were _you?" Fred asked, astonished I could miss food.

"Oh erm, I uh, found an excellent opportunity for a dungbomb trap. Filch will never see it coming." I said trying to fake confidence. Lee nodded and chuckled, but my twin eyed me suspiciously. He continued, nonetheless.

"Well, the new toad is called Umbridge and she talked about reform and all this bloody nonsense. She's from the ministry, and she interrupted Dumbledore, sounds like a right terror." He said cracking his knuckles, something he often did when he was nervous, and lately Lee had been doing it too. I tended to pop my thumb out, but that could change like everything else.

"Hopefully she'll be a joy to prank. Listen, we should maybe put up signs in the common room, so we can get some test subjects cheap? I mean, if you want to, I can make 'em." I babbled, knowing I sounded stupid but at least I sounded animated.

"Yeah, you should Georgie! You're good at drawing." Fred and I made eye contact once Lee said this, sharing a small grin.

"Got a crush? We'll be supportive and all, but maybe you should be more subtle. Subtle always works, I thought you'd learn a few dating tips from hanging around will us all these years!" Fred grinned as Lee punched him. _What dating tips could I have possibly given off? I've got nothing, Katie's just looking for a boyfriend so she wouldn't be single, and I was one of the few that were available. _

When we got to our dorm, I quickly drew out a sign and we fastened it to the bulletin, hoping for some excellent first years to be victims.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**AN: **Argh, I know I am an awful person! Updates every Wednesday and then THIS! I'm going to make it longer because of that. At least I released two Doctor Who one shots in the week between my last update, but I realize that is totally irrelevant and does not compensate in the slightest. I am really so, So sorry!

The next morning, Fred and I woke up early. We worked seemingly endlessly on our prototypes, cutting it close to be early for breakfast. Lee had speculated that if we hung around the Great Hall more often, word would get out, and as it made perfect sense, we went along.

"Bet you're starving, skived off dinner and all!" Fred exclaimed as we made our way to the hall. I nodded, while internally groaning: I was going to have to eat like a pig today to play along. By the end of the day, I would weigh six times more than Fred. At least Ronniekins was there to provide some comic relief.

"Do mine ears deceive me?" Fred asked casually, squeezing next to Harry on the bench and pulling me down with him. I wasn't sure what Ron had said, but I knew this was going to be a good teasing session. "Hogwarts prefects surely don't wish to skive off lessons?"

"Look what we've got today," Ron muttered, ever the overdramatic teenager. "That's the worst Monday I've ever seen." I looked over Fred's shoulder to scan Ron's schedule, and he had a point: Fred and I would never have been able to make it through half of that day.

"Fair point, little bro," Fred confirmed, eyeing the schedule as I had. "You can have a bit of Nosebleed Nougat cheap if you like." My twin and I had agreed on not giving anything free to family members (excluding ourselves, of course.) We told everyone that it was for fairness, but I secretly thought it was out of spite, as our immediate family had never exactly supported the idea of a joke shop.

"Why's it cheap?" Ron questioned, skepticism overflowing from his narrow-eyed expression. I knew I had to think of some hilarious reason and fast. After a few moments of hesitation, I decided on "Because you'll keep bleeding until you shrivel up, we haven't got an antidote yet." I realized everyone else had already gotten food, so silently speared the closest item and dropped it on my plate.

"Cheers," Our little brother mumbled. "But I think I'll take the lessons."

Then Hermione dared to speak of our joke shop endeavors. "And speaking of your Skiving Snackboxes," I glanced at Fred: That was the perfect name! _Absolutely brilliant!_ Fred mouthed at me, and I nodded. "You can't advertise for testers on the Gryffindor notice board." The prefect continued, not even realizing she had just aided us.

"Says who?" I questioned, pretending to be entirely innocent.

"Says me," Said Hermione confidently. "And Ron." I slowly turned my head to my long nosed brother, and he added hastily, "Leave me out of it!"

Hermione glared at him like he was Snape, I could hardly contain my laughter.

"You'll be singing a different tune soon enough, Hermione," Said Fred, changing the subject. "You're starting your fifth year, you'll be begging us for a Snackbox before long." I noted that he had immediately adapted the name, I would have to remember that.

"And why would starting fifth year mean I want a Skiving Snackbox?"Question Hermione sharply.

I rolled my eyes, it was obvious. "Fifth year's O.W.L. year,"

"So?" Honestly, she could be so dull sometimes.

"So you've got your exams coming up, haven't you? They'll be keeping Question Hermione sharply.

I rolled my eyes, it was obvious. "Fifth year's O.W.L. year,"

"So?" Honestly, she could be so dull sometimes.

"So you've got your exams coming up, haven't you? They'll be keeping our noses so hard to that grindstone they'll be rubbed raw," I wanted to snigger at my brother's choice of metaphor, but I knew he thought it was clever so I bit my lip. Fred eyed me, so I continued hastily.

"Half our year had minor breakdowns coming up to O.W.L.s," I explained. "Tears and tantrums…Patricia Stimpson kept coming over faint…"

"Kenneth Towler came out in boils, d'you remember?" said Fred incorrectly. I didn't want him to be embarrassed, so I tried to be nice about it.

"That's 'cause you put Bulbadox Powder in his pajamas," I said with a slight smile. He beamed much more enthusiastically back, so I quickly looked down at my full plate.

"Oh yeah," He continued. "I'd forgotten…Hard to keep track sometimes, isn't it?" Why was he always changing the subject? Remembering what we'd done always made me feel guilty, I tried to move on.

"Anyway, it's a nightmare of a year, the fifth," I said quietly. "If you care about exam results anyway. Fred and I managed to keep our spirits up somehow."

"Yeah…you got, what was it, three O.W.L.s each?" Said Ron. That stung. I really had wanted to do well on those, so I could make Mum proud, but Fred made no effort, he was more focused on Quidditch. We had to match, so I gave up.

"Yep," My twin continued on, without a care in the world. "But we feel our futures lie outside the world of academic achievement."

"We seriously debated whether we were going to bother coming back for our seventh year," I said trying to be joyful. "now that we've got—" _Wait! Harry will hate you if you tell! _I glanced over at the boy in question, and he was glaring at me sternly. I gulped and continued quickly.

"—now that we've got our O.W.L.s. I mean, do we really need N.E.W.T.s? But we didn't think Mum could take us leaving school early, not on top of Percy turning out to be the world's biggest prat." It was true, I wanted to kill him for making everyone so upset.

"We're not going to waste our last year here, though," Said Fred nostalgically, acting as though _he _was the one who called this his favourite place, rather than myself. "We're going to use it to do a bit of market research, find out exactly what the average Hogwarts student requires from his joke shop, carefully evaluate the results of our research, and then produce the products to fit the demand."

"But where are you going to get the gold to start a joke shop?" Hermione questioned with suspicion. "You're going to need all the ingredients and materials—and premises too, I suppose…"

Fred said quickly, "Ask us no questions and we'll tell you no lies, Hermione. C'mon, George, if we get there early we might be able to sell a few Extendable Ears before Herbology." He slapped some greasy bread in my hand, noticing I hadn't eaten. I blushed and walked away quickly, he was close behind.

The day went by fine, absolutely fine, until the fourth class. Our first Defense Against the Dark Arts with Professor Toadface.

"Mr Weasley, I presume?" My head snapped up from my book, I had been squinting closely at the page. I really needed glasses, but I wasn't about to tell anyone. I would be the ugly nerd and Fred would be the athletic cool kid. Well, even more so than usual.

"Yes, Professor?" I tried to look as innocent as possible, but I was pretty sure my face was permanently set in a mischievous smirk, or so I was told.

"Sleeping in a class in the upmost disrespect you could ever give a teacher. Detention tonight, 9 o'clock." She snarled, grinning in a way I really didn't like. She was someone I quickly realized I couldn't cross, so I nodded timidly and looked back down at my book.

"I'll have none of that. You should say, 'Yes, Professor Umbridge.' Try again."

"Yes, Professor Umbridge." I chimed, trying to look confident, as I felt the whole class's eyes bearing into me.

"Good. Go back to work and I will _not_ see you disrespect me again." I turned back to my book, no longer really reading anything. A detention without Fred. He was going to be at least a little proud, even if it was for senseless reasons. But what would happen? We usually found some way to communicate, little light flashes to form Morse code or even reverting back to the basics and passing notes. By myself, I didn't know what would happen.

INSERT LINE BREAK

I found out soon enough. After Fred, Lee, and I had tested some products on several first years and had a good laugh, I went off to see Umbridge.


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**AN:** Sorry for some weird formatting error in the previous chapter, I'm trying to see how to fix it! I noticed that one wasn't as well received, so I'm sorry and I'll definitely put more effort into this one, last chapter I was sort of rushing. I don't like this chapter as much, but usually when I hate it, you like it, so let's have a go! :) Also, _**bold and italics is George writing. **_Please review, and have an EPIC day!

_Disclaimer:_ _I don't own Harry Potter, and if I did, I wouldn't be here!_

"Sit," The stout toad simpered, so I immediately did that. She sat as well, in a noticeably more comfortable squashy armchair, and began to rummage in her drawers. After several minutes, she smiled creepily and pulled out a very, very long dark red quill. I reached into my pocket for some ink (I always carried some around, in various types: Color change, Flavoured, and Disappearing. Occasionally, I remembered to pocket the regular type.) but she made a harsh 'shh' noise.

"You won't be needing any of that." I raised an eyebrow, but said nothing so I could get it over with.

"I would like you to write, "I will not disrespect authority," Umbridge pronounced, attempting to sound sweet but sinister was the lasting effect. She opened up another drawer and pulled out a cat magazine and opened it, holding it high to cover her face.

I looked down at my paper dumbly for a moment, then asked, "How many times, Professor?" She sighed and put down her magazine for a second, then put it back up and snarled, "As many times as necessary."

_**I will not disrespect authority.**_

Almost immediately, my left hand started to burn as though someone was tracing a match on it. I tried not to make a noise as I inspected it inconspicuously, but it was so painful I hardly could. There were about twenty little chicken scratch cuts across the back of my hand, appeared from nowhere, and bleeding profusely. I glanced over at the toad, wondering if she had noticed, but she was just smiling sweetly. I didn't want to make too much of a fuss, so I tried again.

_**I will not disrespect authority.**_

My hand twinged sharply again; it felt as though someone had put several small knifes lined up through the skin. I was more worried about what the cuts looked like though. They formed something really recognizable:  
><em><br>_

_**I will not disrespect authority.** _

Gasping quietly, I looked over at Umbridge. She was no longer smiling, her expression gave the idea that someone had insulted her deeply. I looked down once again at the paper, and wrote, much softer this time.

_**I will not disrespect authority.** _

Suddenly, Professor Umbridge pounded her hand on the table and stood up. I flinched cowardly, then attempted to straighten up when she smiled that awful fake sweet smile.

"You're going to have to write a little harder if you really want the message to _sink in._" She simpered, sitting down slowly. "Otherwise, we might have to make this a little more difficult, and you wouldn't want that...?" I shook my head quickly, not doubting that she was capable of evil, and I wrote once more, the only sounds being the scratch of the quill and the whimpers of pain that somehow managed to escape.

_**I will not disrespect authority.**_

_**I will not disrespect authority.  
><strong>_

_**I will not disrespect** **authority.**  
><em>

* * *

><p>When the session was finally over, she put down her magazine and frowned.<p>

"It doesn't look like that will really _imprint _upon your memory, Mr. Weasley. I shall see you tomorrow evening, same time. Off you go." I nodded quickly, then dashed out of the door and to the nearest lavatory. Scrubbing at the wounds would make them feel worse, but at least I would be more clean. I suddenly remembered that I had eaten so much for breakfast, and went off into the stalls, retching much more than usual. The only thing that could stop me was the sound of my brother's voice: "Merlin, Georgie,"


End file.
